Hair graying (canities), or the loss of pigment production and deposition within the hair shafts, is an obvious sign of aging, which is highly undesirable in many cultures. Hair graying is a complex phenomenon resulting from the interaction of several intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors may include genetically programmed processes that could lead to premature graying, genetic diseases, and intrinsic aging processes. Extrinsic factors may include environmental factors (e.g. wind, heat, cigarette smoke, chemicals, UV irradiation, etc.), nutritional effects, medications effects, and emotional stress. All these elements induce molecular and cellular processes that contribute to the loss of hair pigmentation.
The major approach to address hair graying is hair dyeing (“coloring”), which was documented archeologically from about 1500 BC, and is still popular today. However, hair coloring has several limitations. The borderline of the hair coloring area becomes visible as hairs grow, creating a less aesthetic appearance than desired, and disclosing the undesired aging process. Hair dyeing requires the use of chemicals that are unhealthy or destructive to the hair or the surrounding skin, as well as to the environment, such as hydrogen peroxide. Professional hair dyeing is associated with significant costs and schedule obligations, and home procedures entail a major time commitment, staining and disorder. It is desired, therefore, to have better procedures and methods to solve the hair graying problem.
It is desired to have a topical treatment that could prevent, slow, reduce or reverse hair graying. It is more desired to have such a treatment as a single and affordable topical treatment for daily skin and hair care. Such a treatment should provide solutions to hair graying with little or no irritation and few or no negative side effects and should further provide other desired scalp and hair health, wellness and beautifying benefits. It is further desired to have a topical treatment that does not require a pharmaceutical prescription.
Skin aging is a slow, chronic process, in which the functionality of skin molecules and structures is reduced with time and is further compromised with UV exposure. Skin aging is first noticed with the appearance of facial sagging, fine lines, wrinkles and age spots, followed by the appearance of dull and thinning hair, sparse eyebrows and eyelashes, and dry and fragile skin and nails. The anti-aging market provides remedies and solutions directed mainly to enhance facial beauty. It is desired to have “anti-aging” products that affect the molecular and cellular processes contributing to the aging process, and provide additional functional benefits, not just cosmetic effects.
The mid-50s “free radical theory of aging” correlates cumulative oxidative damage with the degree of aging. Oxidative stress, (or the imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) creation and the ability to detoxify ROS and repair the resulting damage) is increased with age and with UV exposure, while the antioxidant response of the aging cells slows with the accumulation of mutations. ROS induce inflammatory processes and immune-suppression, which further contribute to barrier damage and compromise skin integrity. Clinical data suggest that reducing oxidative stress contributes to skin health and wellness and reduces aging manifestations. It is desired to have an “anti-aging” skin care solution that not only reduces oxidative stress, but also enhances the endogenous antioxidant response of the aging cells.
One of the more noticeable and unwanted signs of aging is skin pigmentary lesions. The brown spots that appear on UV-exposed skin areas (“age spots”) are one such pigmentary problem. Additionally, age-induced white, hypo-pigmented spots (idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis, IGH) also appear on sun-exposed, aged skin areas, and signal the undesired “old” look. These affected areas may stop making melanin at all, causing them to completely lose pigment, resulting in unsightly, but benign lesions. IGH lesions are commonly found in more than 50% of older and elderly individuals (aged>40 years), and about 30% of the individuals develop their initial IGH lesions prior to 20 years of age.
There is no treatment available for the spotted loss of skin pigmentation such as in IGH. It is desired to have a topical treatment that could preserve the natural skin color, or prevent, or slow, or reduce or reverse spotty skin pigment loss in the pigment-losing areas of the skin such as in IGH. It is more desired to have such a treatment as a single and affordable topical treatment for daily skin care. Such a treatment should provide solutions to spotty skin pigment loss with minimal or no irritation and few or no negative side effects, and should further provide other desired skin health, wellness and beautifying benefits.
IGH should not be confused with vitiligo, which is a skin depigmenting disease. Vitiligo is a disorder in which white, non-pigmented patches of skin appear on different parts of the body. The vitiligo lesions are large patches, they expand rapidly, and they are not related to sun exposure or aging. Vitiligo may arise from autoimmune, genetic, neural, or viral causes, as well as from oxidative stress. In some cases, vitiligo spreads slowly, over many years, however, in other cases the spreading occurs very quickly. Some reports associate the increase in white patches with physical or emotional stress. The most commonly prescribed treatment for vitiligo is a potent or super-potent topical corticosteroid. Unfortunately, only about 45 percent of patients regain some skin color following months of this treatment. Light therapy is very ineffective, and PUVA therapy does not provide satisfactory results as well.
It is desired to have a topical treatment that could preserve the natural skin color, or prevent, or slow, or reduce or reverse pigment loss in vitiligo. It is more desired to have such a treatment as a single and affordable topical treatment for daily skin care. Such a treatment should provide solutions to vitiligo with little or no irritation and few or no negative side effects, and should further provide other desired skin health, wellness and beautifying benefits.
Geriatric skin (generally referred to the skin of individuals 65 years old or older, but the age can vary due to numerous factors) is significantly aged and therefore very fragile. It is thin and dry, very itchy, easily bruised and predisposed to wounding, tearing and infections, therefore affecting both health and quality of life. In the elderly skin, the aging processes continue and magnify. The amount of inflammatory infiltrate is increased, wound healing and immune responses are delayed, thermoregulation is compromised and sweat and sebum production are decreased. The cumulative effects of life-long environmental exposure further enhance functional skin aging in the elderly. These include not only UV exposure, pollution and smoke, but also factors like air conditioning, heating and hot water use. Diseases, and in particular diabetes, immune disorders, cardiac diseases, renal or hepatic failure, malignancies and infections enhance the skin aging process as does the prolonged use of medications like steroids, anticoagulants, blood thinners, immune-modulators and cancer therapies. Slowness and life style changes further contribute to dehydration and reduced skin nutrition, enhancing the dryness and fragility of the elderly skin, and contributing to an increase in “little injuries” and their consequences. Interestingly, it was suggested that most of the elderly skin changes associated with aging are due to intrinsic aging rather than photodamage or lifestyle.
The major needs of geriatric skin are not related to facial beauty, but to the health and well-being of body skin. What is needed is to reduce dryness and itchiness, to reduce the amount and the severity of skin injuries, to reduce skin tears, reduce hematomas, enhance the healing time of minor injuries, reduce the rate of infections, and the like. Unfortunately, there are few, if any, consumer products dedicated to these geriatric skin needs. Geriatric skin could benefit from enhancing its biological properties and reducing undesired attributes such as pruritis or fragility in a way superior to the use of moisturization alone. It is desired to have a topical treatment that could prevent, slow, reduce or reverse skin aging processes in geriatric skin. It is more desired to have such a treatment as a single and affordable topical treatment for daily care. Such a treatment should provide solutions to geriatric skin needs, with little or no irritation and few or no negative side effects to the fragile skin, and should further provide other desired health, wellness and cosmetic benefits. It is further desired to have such a single topical treatment that does not require a pharmaceutical prescription.
Elderly patients experience common nail changes and dystrophies that induce pain, affect daily activities, and are of cosmetic concern. With age, nails may become brittle and prone to breaking, may become clubbed (a significant shape-change with very rounded nails), or may be discolored. Unfortunately, there are no consumer products dedicated to elderly nail care, or to the general health and wellbeing of the nails. It is desired to have products to enhance the biological properties of the nails and their surrounding skin and cuticle, and to reduce undesired properties associated with nail aging. It is more desired to have such a product as a single and affordable topical treatment for daily care. Such a treatment should provide solutions to geriatric skin needs, with little or no irritation and few or no negative side effects to the fragile skin, and should further provide other desired health, wellness and cosmetic benefits. It is further desired to have such a single topical treatment that does not require a pharmaceutical prescription.